Abstract
This article examines the development of the wage system in Kazakhstan. The aim of this study is to examine the differentiation of employee wages in the Republic of Kazakhstan and develop recommendations for optimizing its structure across regions and industries. A systems approach was used to analyze wages across industries and regions, employing economic and statistical methods, classification, structural analysis, historical and comparative analysis, and participant observation across various organizations across the country. It was determined that the implementation of a market mechanism for wage regulation largely depends on the optimization of individual structural elements of wages. An important approach to addressing this issue is the de facto recognition of wages as the price of labor, established through collective bargaining between representatives of employees and employers in the labor market. The amount of wages for hired workers should initially be determined through collective bargaining agreements at all levels: industry, regional, and national. Implementing this provision requires a radical revision of the entire legislative framework governing labor relations and the transformation of trade unions into a real force in the negotiating process.